tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22797369220722242442024-03-04T20:02:10.367-08:00Tips, Tricks, Travels and Twix
As a member of Generation Y, I have taken it upon myself to document the trials, tribulations, dreams and aspirations that we, Millenial women face day in and day out. I am a 21-year-old Senior at the University of Maryland, currently living with my parents for the summer...this should get interesting. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16127579246871936502noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279736922072224244.post-73931432679968543962013-02-12T13:41:00.000-08:002013-06-06T07:20:04.957-07:00Yup, It's That Time of the Year..AGAIN!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well you guessed it! Second semester has finally started and you all know what that means..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">INTERNSHIPS ON INTERNSHIPS ON INTERNSHIPS ON INTERNSHIPS</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well you get my point..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For those who have never had an internship. GET ON IT. And for those of you who have, you know exactly what I'm talking about.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Getting an internship can be a very taxing and tedious task, but have no fear! I have come up with some guidelines to get you excited about the long and annoying hours you will spend updating your resume, sending your cover letter to your mom so she can make the proper edits, and emailing those bosses from 2 summers ago (who probably don't remember your name) for a recommendation later.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So here it goes..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Start early - It's never too early to start thinking about your summer internships or summer plans. During my freshman year at college, I was nervous about getting stuck working at the local pool for yet another summer so I began my search for an internship in early October. As a result, I had my internship locked and loaded by January and got to enjoy the rest of my freshman year instead of fretting about the summer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Apply ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE (well not literally) - For those of you who are reading this and saying "Internships!? I barely know what I want to be when I grow up!" Well, that's the best part! Doing an internship allows you the opportunity to find out your likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. It took me THREE internships to realize what I wanted to do with my life, well sort of, but that was only because I applied to as many different and obscure internships as I could possibly find on Google.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. It's Not About WHAT You Know, But WHO You Know - Look back at emails and contacts from High School, family friends, or even relatives. Chances are one of those people knows someone that knows someone (who is writing this blog--jk!) that can get you a job or at the very least connect you with someone who is looking to hire some interns.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Get That PAPERRRR - let's be real, if you're a college student chances are you're paying a lot for your education, or your parents are and you should be rewarded for that. In searching for internships try and find a job that is going to pay your for your time. As someone who has had 4 paid internships, I promise they're out there, you just have to look.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I hope these tips have been somewhat helpful and that you find success in all your endeavours. Good luck!</span><br />
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16127579246871936502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279736922072224244.post-55410675479997093692012-12-04T17:01:00.004-08:002013-06-06T07:07:56.123-07:00The Importance of Strong Written and Oral Communication Skills in the field of Public Relations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">The Importance of Strong Written and Oral Communication Skills
in the field of Public Relations </span></b><o:p></o:p><br />
<b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
</span></b>Students entering the
workforce must establish a competitive advantage in order to standout from
their peers. According to the <a href="http://www.aacu.org/leap/students/employerstopten.cfm">AACU</a>, among the 10 top qualities employers are looking for in a
college graduate is the ability to write and communicate well. While important
in any industry, strong written and oral communication skills are particularly
important in public relations due to the nature of the field. At its core,
public relations, is the strategic communication process that develops and
maintains mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their key
publics according to <a href="http://www.prsa.org/AboutPRSA/PublicRelationsDefined/">PRSA</a>. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
PR professionals’ main weapon
is to writing and releasing, favorable or unfavorable information about an
organization to the public. This can only be accomplished through strong
written skills and effective communication skills both internally and externally. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #6aa84f;">The Real Meaning of Effective Communication </span></b><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
There are numerous definitions of an effective communicator: someone who shares
thoughts and ideas with their peers, someone who informs, someone who persuades
others to accept their ideas, and someone who communicates so that their ideas
create a common perception amongst others resulting in a change of behavior.
Being an effective communicator is one of the key ingredients to success in any
business or field, but particularly important in public relations. As
professionals who majored in "Communication," it is their job to
affectively convey messages to their co-workers and clients in a timely and
organized manner. Effective communication can be portrayed in several ways: <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 17.0pt;">
1. Ability to communicate an important message or memo in as little<br />
messages as possible </div>
2. Require
less explanation or clarification on proposals, final<br />
projects and proposals<br />
3. Make sure
your voice is heard, in a respectful manner <o:p></o:p><br />
4. Get the
message across in as little as 140 characters (Twitter) <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
It is also important to remember
that while these are the templates for effective communication, the world we
live in and way in which we communicate is rapidly changing. Just this past
week the text message celebrated its 20-year anniversary. That's 20 years of
"Hey, What's up?" or, "TTYL", and "Love U’s!” I'm sure
most of us cannot even imagine a time when Internet was not available on our
phones, let alone text messaging. With the growing importance of accessible Internet
and available information, social media and social networking sites have become
exponentially essential in the past decade. <b><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></b><b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #6aa84f;">What's Social Media Got To Do With It?</span></b><b><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></b><o:p></o:p><br />
<b><span style="color: #222222;"></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #222222;">
</span></b>So how does this all
tie-in together? What does social media and social networking have to do with
the importance of strong written and oral communication skills in public
relations? <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdguAUpnOkc81LvMAqnusmD7Z9tK0oKxGzqNoWdP_YsOpZthtHciCVsUdw-kV7HQEmeR64KECCuI1agTjB64BJkrX-ucaDAxRxbL5QBmBaTd5KYL4wb7tqo5aC8caNocJvqx0IbE0YmY/s1600/Time-Inc.-Will-Bring-All-21-Of-Their-Magazines-To-The-IPad!.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdguAUpnOkc81LvMAqnusmD7Z9tK0oKxGzqNoWdP_YsOpZthtHciCVsUdw-kV7HQEmeR64KECCuI1agTjB64BJkrX-ucaDAxRxbL5QBmBaTd5KYL4wb7tqo5aC8caNocJvqx0IbE0YmY/s320/Time-Inc.-Will-Bring-All-21-Of-Their-Magazines-To-The-IPad!.jpeg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">One story, multiple platforms</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit: macguru.biz</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Stellar writing skills are important in public relations because writing
accounts for about 75% of the profession’s daily tasks, jobs and projects. PR
professionals must understand the value of their company or clients content and
know how to most effectively convey that information to the public. In 2012,
with the ever-growing importance of social media and social networking sites,
PR professionals now have a plethora of platforms where they are expected to
display their information. Even trickier is that not all platforms are the
same; some require different formats, different character limits, and often
heavily rely on graphics as opposed to words or visa-versa. Having strong
writing skills allows public relation’s professionals to successfully perform
their jobs: communicate the correct message and be able to mold that message to
suit multiple platforms.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Many experts and professionals in the field,
including Professor Pamela Grant, of the University of Maryland, have made the
argument that tweeting and texting are actually beneficial to young PR
professionals. Having become
accustomed to a limit of 140 characters, blogging and Facebook, “Millenials”
and recent college graduates have been put at an advantage and optimal position
in the workforce. <o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #6aa84f;">The Future of Public Relations</span></b><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Bob Dylan once said, “The times they are a-changin’”, and boy was he right. In 2012, technology, the environment and the way we communicate are changing more rapidly than ever before. These changes have already begun to affect the modern business world and will only continue to change it and help it grow.<o:p></o:p></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong>
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">So what is the future of public relations? As a communication major with a focus in public relations, this matter is very concerning to me. It is important for students, like myself, to understand where public relations is headed towards, in order to properly prepare for our future in the workplace.<o:p></o:p></span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">In my COMM350: PR Theory class I have learned about the importance of public relations and the growing importance it holds as it relates to social media. According to the <a href="http://www.bls.gov/ooh/about/projections-overview.htm">Bureau of Labor Statistics</a> public relations is expected to grow by 24% through 2018 as a result of the social media boom. More and more organizations and firms are going to need the assistance of PR professionals to maintain their image, keep up on trends and effectively communicate in the digital world.</span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">As a junior Communication major with a focus in public relations, I am eager to master my writing and communication skills over the next two years. </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">The road ahead seems full of possibilities and I cannot wait for the future. </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong>
<strong><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Mariel Rothman, a junior Communication major also sees the importance of strong written and oral communication skills in the field of public relations: </span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<dd><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></dd></div>
<div class="ab-player" data-boourl="http://audioboo.fm/boos/1084819-what-is-the-importance-of-strong-written-and-oral-communication-skills/embed">
<a href="http://audioboo.fm/boos/1084819-what-is-the-importance-of-strong-written-and-oral-communication-skills"><span style="font-family: inherit;">listen to ‘What is the importance of strong written and oral communication skills ’ on Audioboo</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16127579246871936502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279736922072224244.post-59147721517396020812012-11-12T08:54:00.002-08:002012-11-28T10:28:51.671-08:00Practice Interview with Audioboo Clips <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://audioboo.fm/boos/1054784-testing-1-2-3">http://audioboo.fm/boos/1054784-testing-1-2-3</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Question #1 </div>
<div class="ab-player" data-boourl="http://audioboo.fm/boos/1054811-why-do-you-not-want-an-ipad/embed">
<a href="http://audioboo.fm/boos/1054811-why-do-you-not-want-an-ipad">listen to ‘Why do you not want an iPad?’ on Audioboo</a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIv8J5rEiz4NV662kkAwgqQjQpoOxxjH6XPZJUGgfqC7mz7BB5wSrxsdBZYnVx8Vj0GvWvglHhUTk4uo0E1I2UglvgytiXtJimEl2qTstujzW-iTfKrbzuQa5N9aNP0sbDJP9NGO-itIA/s1600/Photo+on+2012-11-12+at+11.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIv8J5rEiz4NV662kkAwgqQjQpoOxxjH6XPZJUGgfqC7mz7BB5wSrxsdBZYnVx8Vj0GvWvglHhUTk4uo0E1I2UglvgytiXtJimEl2qTstujzW-iTfKrbzuQa5N9aNP0sbDJP9NGO-itIA/s400/Photo+on+2012-11-12+at+11.56.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interviewee - Emily Sellman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Question #2<br />
<a href="http://audioboo.fm/boos/1054827-why-would-you-like-a-course-that-blends-class-meetings-with-technology">listen to ‘Why would you like a course that blends class meetings with technology’ on Audioboo</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16127579246871936502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279736922072224244.post-47241089471925539882012-10-24T10:42:00.000-07:002013-06-06T07:15:31.621-07:00New hope for a decrease in the "Digital Divide" and "Participation Gap" <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After reading Kevin Guidry's descriptions I can undoubtedly
say that there is a digital divide. When I was reading the article on “Mobile
Phone Problems” I was most shocked by the discrepancy and findings that
researches had recorded stating that Hispanics and African American’s were
among those whose primary Internet browser’s were their phones. They allotted
these findings to the fact there the Hispanics and African American’s came from
lower income families and therefore didn’t have the means to buy a computer or
laptop. Their main way of getting information from the Internet was via their
phone. After reading Kevin’s descriptions I definitely believe in the digital
divide and participation gap. If people do not have the means, or cannot afford
to get internet access or have the chance to train themselves in the same ways
that everyone else can the gap and divide will only continue to grow.The digital divide will continue to grow because of the
limited nature of Internet access. At the University of Maryland for example,
Internet access on campus, in the library’s and in the various computer labs
located around campus, are only accessible by University of Maryland students.
Not everyone can gain access to the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Internet. You either need a password, or Wifi that someone is paying
for. I do believe that Internet access should be granted to everyone and that
pays for it, but that costs should sometimes be altered or considered on a case-by-case
situation. Everyone deserves access to the Internet in some form or another.
The participation gap is something that will also continue to grow if changes
are not made. While people need to spend more time on the Internet to become
more versed in the various techniques there are other ways of doing it. For
example in New York City, and the NYC Public Library, computers are accessible
to anyone who knows how to turn on a computer, as I am sure the situation is at
other public libraries. People need to be in charge of their own destiny, and
help themselves first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /> </span><br />As we have seen in the last 2 years, tablets and iPad’s, is
a devise that gives people access to the Internet at a more reasonable price.
With the growth of tablets and the like I believe that there may be hope for
the digital divide and participation gap to shrink. Because the Internet plays
such a prominent and dominant role in our daily lives it is becoming less of a
novelty and more of a necessity. Instead of having to pay $1,000 for a Macbook
Pro or $900 for a Dell laptop, people can now buy tablets made by Samsung,
Sony, and Apple for about $200-$500. As more and more products come to the
market, each one is going to contain to and improved technology and perks.
Because the gadgets and technology industry is always growing there will always
be new products and new opportunities for people to gain access to the Internet.
Instead of having to buy your child a new laptop when they go to college, on
top of the tuition money you are already spending, now you have the option to
buy them an iPad or tablet that will give them a very similar experience at half
the cost. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16127579246871936502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279736922072224244.post-85629338072511971032012-10-19T20:59:00.000-07:002013-06-06T07:17:04.847-07:00Japan's Climb to the Top Cut Short <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlYEJDrx4th3tOj-53Mx2T9s7xj0sErV7N8kVnAJ6HTt1GqMVbGbQizUwehZpUWTO43QYVrKZ5WptDhGFaqWcB2KKupXJFNB6B-H-cSHf7IfzGpXo3nBdvPJPj1AAULWJJFtZniQtLWU/s1600/article-1158758-05FE97AA0000044D-252_224x363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlYEJDrx4th3tOj-53Mx2T9s7xj0sErV7N8kVnAJ6HTt1GqMVbGbQizUwehZpUWTO43QYVrKZ5WptDhGFaqWcB2KKupXJFNB6B-H-cSHf7IfzGpXo3nBdvPJPj1AAULWJJFtZniQtLWU/s320/article-1158758-05FE97AA0000044D-252_224x363.jpg" width="197" /></a>For the past 21 years, or at least since I've been alive, the United States has been at the forefront of cutting edge technology for mobile devices and the life. The notion that a cellphone or smart phone is much more than a telephone is common place and the bar has been raised. According to a U.S. data survey consumers use their phones for seven things: 1. calls, 2. texting, 3. mobile, 4. applications, 5. games, 6. social networking and 7. music. With the release of the iPhone 5 and iPad2 it's no wonder that people in the United States expect so much so fast. "Industry estimates indicate that by 2013 the U.S. will top 100% per capita penetration of mobile phone use". <br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This point brought me to my next thought; "If the U.S. is doing so well in the mobile technology sector, I wonder how it compares to the rest of the world"? According to </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.gartner.com/technology/home.jsp">Gartner, Inc.</a></span></span></span> the worldwide sales of smart phones increased 24% to 172.4 million units in 2009 and is rapidly growing. Being that mobile phones and mobile technology is a "given" in our day and age, especially in the U.S. it has only grown in other parts of the world. A U.N. report found that the number of mobile phone users has exploded in the last 10 years and that the number of global subscriptions quadrupled from about 1 billion in 2002 to about 4.1 billion at the end of 2009; and more specifically, in Africa 28% of the population now has a mobile phone, compared to just 2% in 2000. They also noted that the reason for such surges in uptake of mobile phones was marked in developing countries where "they are now an invaluable tool among the world's poor". <br />
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However, there are still other countries that are lagging behind. Let's take Japan for example. In Tokyo, Japan cell phones are ready for Internet and email, they double as credit cards, boarding passes and even body-fat calculators, however, it stops with Japan. While Japan has been said to be "years ahead in any innovation", according to the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/technology/20cell.html?_r=0">NY Times</a>, it has been unsuccessful in getting business out of it. In 2009 Mr. Natsuno, who developed a popular wireless Internet service, along with a team of the best minds in the field, set out to figure out how Japanese cellphones could go global. Despite the fact that Japanese phones are designed so that even the most average person can have a super-advanced phone, the problem could not be solved. Mr. Natsuno and his team had come to the sad realization that Japan's lack of global clout was the reason behind their lack of expansion. <br />
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When it comes to global expansion in the realm of mobile technology, Japan may be the innovators and spear-headers, but they still have a lot to learn. When it comes to expansion, among the many things that are important for countries to understand is the costs associated with opening and expanding into global markets. One of the reasons that I think Japan has failed is because of the cultural differences that exist in different countries. Many of the people that live in Japan are accustomed to a specific way of life, communication and technology, that does not necessarily mirror that of ours. When entering new markets manufacturers and developers must consider customizing their programs and software to fit that of the country they are trying to penetrate. While costs may be steeper because of the change in the product, in the long run, they will yield a high and profitable return for those countries that chose to specialize their programs and products. Another aspect to consider is the size of these mobile technology companies. In Japan where there are hundreds of different mobile technology companies it is even more difficult to compete. In the U.S. I feel that there is less competition, which is why it has been easier for many companies to grow and expand. <br />
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<a href="http://www.strategicgrowthconcepts.com/growth/mobile-technology-facts.html%20">http://www.strategicgrowthconcepts.com/growth/mobile-technology-facts.html </a><br />
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<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1158758/Mobile-phone-use-explodes-60-worlds-population-signs-handset.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1158758/Mobile-phone-use-explodes-60-worlds-population-signs-handset.html</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16127579246871936502noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279736922072224244.post-57221520663524106482012-09-21T18:54:00.002-07:002013-06-06T07:12:45.064-07:00If only Hamlet had an Iphone <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
During Katie Couric's interview with author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hamlet's Blackberry</i> William Powers there
were many points Bill made that struck me as truthful and some points that I
downright disagreed with. First I will go through the points I agreed with.<br />
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According to Bill, we as human beings, are missing out on the emotional gaps
and pauses that occur in regular conversation and discussion because of the use
of "screens". I believe that I have fallen victim to this myself on
more than a few occasions. Often times, we are so concerned with answering an
email, or commenting on someone's Facebook picture that we don't take the time
to reflect on what it is that we are actually interacting with; and sometimes,
this impulsive attitude, and lack of pauses can have terrible consequences.
I also agree with his comment and comparison of technology to olden times.
Before there was technology, people relied on information from others in order
to survive, and therefore would act immediately, as the information was
imperative. Because of the way we are wired, we now think that every bit of
information sent our way is essential to our survival and that if it not
checked we are going to suffer; like Powers, I strongly disagree with this
notion.<br />
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The second point I agreed with was Powers' on was the mention of being
self-sufficient. As someone who often struggles with being alone, with the
internet access on my phone, I often have an easier time settling for a
technological way of being alone, rather than actually trying to be by myself. Instead
of being content and being by ourselves we don't have to, "we can look at
our tweets all day" and this is something that I think has fueled the
success of technology and these "screens". People who used to feel
alone or never liked being alone, now can avoid that.<br />
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The last point I agreed
with was his comparison to Plato’s idea of “distancing oneself”; Plato could
only survive in the city where he was constantly conversing with people.
However, after coming across an issue that he could not speak about in public,
a colleague of his suggested talking a walk to sort out the issue. After
leaving the city, the hustle and bustle, Plato realized that all it took for
him to understand his dilemma was distance. Like Powers I believe that is what
we must do in our day and age. Sometimes is it so easy to accept what we are
told and move on with life. But other times, we must question the information
we are given, and take a step back, distance ourselves from the “screens” and
the information.<br />
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One of the main points I disagreed with Powers on, was his
idea that technology is causing communication between families to decrease, and
that technology is causing an interpersonal problem. As a student who attends
university outside of her home state and a 5-hour drive away from home,
technology is what keeps my family closer. Powers talked about a lack of eye
contact between his family and a lack of connection, I negate this by saying
that while my family is mainly connected via “screens” we make sure to spend as
much time together as possible, when we can.<br />
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Technology is what allows me to
call my grandmother who lives in Chicago and ask her how her day was going, or
check in on my parents to see how work is. I can FaceTime with my sister and see my dog at home. Thanks to technology I can be in
contact with anyone in my family anytime, anywhere, and for that I am so
grateful.
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16127579246871936502noreply@blogger.com1